Eleven Australians attempting to deliver aid to Gaza have been detained by Israeli forces in international waters off the coast of Cyprus. The Australian government is urgently seeking confirmation of their welfare. They're working to ensure the Australians' safety and well-being.
The activists were part of a global flotilla that left Turkey last week for the embattled strip, which remains under naval blockade by Israel. The ships, carrying 319 activists from dozens of nations, were about 250 nautical miles from the coast of Gaza when they were surrounded by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).
Footage showed the Israeli military approaching in speedboats and boarding the vessels in broad daylight. The Israeli foreign ministry posted on X that activists from what it called the “provocation flotilla” had been transferred to Israeli vessels, alleging “no aid” had been found on their boats. This claim is disputed by the flotilla.
The detained Australians are academics, doctors, students, activists, and film-makers who have urged the federal government to protect them. They include Anny Mokotow, Dr Bianca Pullman-Webb, Neve O’Connor, Violet Coco, Gemma O’Toole, Sam Woripa Watson, Zack Schofield, Helen O’Sullivan, Juliet Lamont, Isla Lamont, and Surya McEwan. They're calling on the government to take action to ensure their safe release.
G7 finance ministers are looking at ways to contain the economic fallout resulting from the war in Iran, which has sent global energy prices soaring and slowed down growth. Finance ministers and central bank governors from G7 countries met in Paris for a second day of talks to discuss responses to the fallout amid continued volatility on global bond markets. They're working to find solutions to the economic crisis.
Along with rising energy prices, policymakers are also expected to discuss sanctions policy and how to limit the economic impact the effective closure of the strait of Hormuz is having on poorer, import-reliant countries. “We agree on the fact that the IMF and the World Bank have to step up their game for those countries (most vulnerable to the impact of the Middle East conflict) and make sure we help them,” French finance minister Roland Lescure told reporters. He emphasized the need for support for these countries.
The head of the International Monetary Fund, Kristalina Georgieva, warned last month that the US-Israeli war on Iran will permanently scar the global economy even if a durable peace deal can somehow be reached. She didn't mince words about the potential consequences of the war.
Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency (NNA) is reporting that Israeli artillery shelling has resumed in southern Lebanon’s Marjayoun district. As we've been reporting, Tehran wants Washington to pressure Israel into stopping its war on Lebanon as part of a deal to end the US-Israeli war on Iran. They're pushing for a ceasefire.
But the US has so far seemed reluctant to exert any real pressure on Israel to stop its continued attacks on southern Lebanon despite a recently extended ceasefire and with Lebanon and Israel set to resume diplomatic talks at the beginning of June. Both Israel and Hezbollah, the Iranian-backed Lebanese militant group and political party, have continued with their attacks since the 17 April ceasefire agreement came into effect, accusing each other of violations. They're at a stalemate.
More than one million people have already been displaced by the renewed Israeli war on Lebanon, which started when Hezbollah launched missiles at Israel on 2 March after the US-Israeli bombing of Iran in late February. Israeli strikes have now killed more than 3,000 people in Lebanon since 2 March, the health ministry said on Monday. The death toll is rising.
The Israeli foreign ministry posted to X that activists from what it called the “provocation flotilla” had been transferred to Israeli vessels, alleging “no aid” had been found on their boats. This claim is disputed by the flotilla. They say they were carrying aid.
The total cumulative toll of the aggression from 2 March to 18 May is now as follows: 3,020 martyrs and 9,273 wounded, the ministry said, with 211 people aged 18 and under and 116 healthcare workers among the dead. The numbers are devastating.
Twenty IDF soldiers and one defence ministry civilian contractor have been killed in southern Lebanon during the fighting, according to officials, with at least four civilians also reported to have been killed. The conflict is taking a heavy toll on both sides.
Iran’s recent proposal to the US called for the lifting of sanctions on Tehran, the release of frozen Iranian funds, and an end to the marine blockade on the country. Iran’s deputy foreign minister Kazem Gharibabadi was quoted by the IRNA news agency as saying this morning. He outlined the terms of the proposal.
The Iranian proposal also includes ending the war on all fronts – including Israel’s assault on Lebanon - the withdrawal of US forces from areas close to Iran, and war damage compensation costs, Gharibabadi added. They're seeking a comprehensive agreement.
The US reportedly saw the updated peace proposal Iran sent on Sunday as insufficient, leading to expectations that the US would resume its attacks. According to the US outlet Axios, Donald Trump is due to meet with his top national security team in the Situation Room later today to discuss possible military options. They're weighing their options.
But speaking at a White House event yesterday, Trump said there had been a “very positive development” and claimed a deal was near that would leave Iran without nuclear weapons, which Tehran denies pursuing. He expressed optimism about the talks.
Trump said he has called off a planned attack on Iran on Tuesday at the request of Gulf states so peace talks could continue. In a post on Truth Social on Monday, the US president said he had been asked to do so by the leaders of Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. They asked him to give diplomacy a chance.
Trump said he had been told a deal would be made that is “very acceptable” to the US, adding there would be “no nuclear weapons for Iran”. He said, however, that he had informed his military leaders “to be prepared to go forward with a full, large scale assault of Iran, on a moment’s notice, in the event that an acceptable Deal is not reached”. He's keeping his options open.
The announcement came as Iran’s foreign military spokesperson, Esmail Baghaei, claimed Pakistan has shared Tehran’s latest proposal with the US. Trump has repeatedly threatened to launch new strikes on Iran, only to retreat at the last minute. He's been inconsistent in his approach.
The war on Iran is deeply unpopular with the American public and is hitting consumers hard with increased oil and fertiliser costs resulting from the reduced flow of vessels through the critical strait of Hormuz. Negotiations on Iran’s nuclear programme and the strait of Hormuz have reached a deadlock. The US’s blockade of Iranian ports is failing to force Tehran into making painful concessions, even though Iran is suffering an escalating economic crisis. They're in a difficult position.
Trump didn't say what targets the US had planned to strike on Tuesday, but officials said the military could have targeted Iran’s ballistic missile sites, according to the New York Times. They're considering their options.